12 Date Night Salmon Dinners for Two

So, you’ve just volunteered to cook dinner for you and your significant other—perhaps for the first time—and now you’re officially freaking out, and rightfully so. You want to impress them with your culinary finesse, but you also really don’t want to give anyone food poisoning because that’s a pretty big dealbreaker.

I’m here to let you know that cooking for date night doesn’t have to be complicated to be impressive and highly recommend one of these salmon dinners. Not only are they low difficulty, but you’ll look way fancy serving a freshly cooked fish with a glass of white wine. Your date will be so impressed. But seriously, don’t forget the wine.

Salmon and lemon is a classic combination, so this makes for the perfectly elegant date night dinner. You’ll definitely get the salmon flavor and the lemony, peppery butter offers the perfect amount of citrus. Because the seasoning is so simple and light, you can really get creative with your side dishes. Add any extra butter you may have after you season the fish to a side of mashed potatoes, pasta, roasted vegetables (especially asparagus), or use it to whip up homemade garlic bread. Get our Grilled Salmon with Lemon-Pepper Compound Butter recipe.

I mean, come on. Even the name of this dish is impressive. If you freaked out like I did, wondering what the hell Coho salmon even is, do not be alarmed! Turns out it’s even less expensive than regular old salmon, so you can make this fancy-sounding dish even if you’re on a tighter budget. What I love about this recipe is that it’s not your typical salmon dish with lemon and asparagus. Though sweet potatoes seem like an odd side dish for salmon, the cinnamon sauce will really tie all those flavors together, and your date will admire your creativity! Get our Coho Salmon with Sweet Potato Salad and Cinnamon Sauce recipe.

If you and your S.O. find yourselves gravitating towards Asian-inspired food, you can so easily incorporate those flavors into your date night salmon dinner. Turns out salmon is a great vessel for experimenting with soy, rice vinegar, ginger, and other Asian staples. And, the side dishes here are a nice, light complement to all the flavors you’re pumping into that salmon. Get the Pan-Roasted Soy-Glazed Salmon recipe.

Sooo, you know chili is an aphrodisiac, right? Need I go on? The seasoning and grilling of the salmon is a cinch and then the best part, the lime, onion, and cilantro crema puts this dish firmly into the “oooh-ahhh” category. Serve over simple white rice with sliced avocado or green vegetable. Get our Grilled Chili Salmon with Lime Crema recipe.

Ugh, I love a good burger. Show your date you’re a little more creative than the typical salmon fillet route. Not only does this salmon burger come with its own delicious sauce, but this recipe lends itself well to literally any additional toppings or side dishes you or your date may desire. Personally, I’d add a little cheese and some jalapeños on top of the burger. As for a side, this could be as easy as going to your local deli and picking up some potato salad or chips, or you could get creative and make your own fries or some baked beans. Remember, it’s a burger, so anything goes! Get the recipe.

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With summer fast approaching, you NEED to have this recipe in the holster. It’s light and sweet—perfect for eating on your back porch with a glass of hard iced tea or lemonade. The recommended sides for this dish are super simple: some lightly seasoned green beans, broccoli, or asparagus. Although, I also think corn could go really well with this dish too! Get the recipe.

If you’re anything like me, you can’t go one day without either eating an avocado or eating something spicy. Lucky, with this delicious salmon taco recipe, you get both! These are really easy to assemble, but I recommend making it even more fun for date night by simply laying out the ingredients and the two of you putting your own dinners together, Taco Tuesday style. Get the recipe.

In the same vein as the salmon tacos, our Salmon and Asparagus Kebabs are the easiest things in the world, but they’re so fun and perfect for a night in! The brown sugar, ginger, and soy sauce (among other things) you’re using to coat the salmon give a tangy, yet sweet flavor you’ll definitely love. I’d recommend some simple roasted potatoes as a side. Get our Salmon and Asparagus Kebabs recipe.

Date night meets breakfast for dinner. The staple salmon dinner flavors (lemon, garlic, potatoes, and parsley) all make an appearance in this dish, but the hash makes for a fun presentation reminiscent of the breakfast hash you devour at a diner at breakfast time (or 3 a.m.). Get our Smoked Salmon Hash with Lemon-Parsley Vinaigrette recipe.

A classic salmon and asparagus dinner all wrapped up in one bowl and topped with Parmesan cheese—it doesn’t get better. Pasta is always easy, but this dish will seem even fancier with your cooked salmon and vegetables tossed right in. As a side, I recommend garlic bread—either store-bought or homemade, but garlic bread seems like a necessity here. And to drink, I did mention white wine, right? Get the recipe.

This recipe definitely seems a bit strange. If I were trying to come up with a side for a salmon dish, grapes would be the absolute last thing on my mind. But the recipe speaks for itself. It’s super simple, and the spice of the paprika is totally complimented by the sweetness of the grapes. You’ll love it! Get the recipe.

There’s nothing quite like getting a nice crust on a salmon, and feta makes everything fancier, right? Impress your date with this filling and flavorful recipe. Since there are a lot of flavors glazing the salmon, I’d definitely stick with one of the simpler staples as far as a side is concerned. Pan roast some potatoes or asparagus with lemon juice, olive oil, sea salt, and pepper. Oh, and wine. Get the recipe.

Related Video: How to Poach Salmon in a Baggie

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